Vajpayee admitted ‘mistake’ in Gujarat: Former RAW chief

New Delhi: Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that the “mistake” in Gujarat was the reason for the National Democratic Alliance’s defeat in the 2004 general election, former RAW chief A.S.Dulat has said.

In an interview conducted by Karan Thapar and telecast on India Today TV channel on Thursday, Dulat said Vajpayee admitted Gujarat was a mistake. “You could see the sadness in his (Vajpayee’s) eyes,” he said.

Dulat, whose book, “Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years”, is slated to be released shortly, said BJP leader L.K. Advani, who was the deputy prime minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was not happy with the way the then principal secretary Brijesh Mishra was given importance by Vajpayee.

“Brijesh Mishra virtually ran the government. He was cool, composed and was the only boss. He had a very sharp mind. Advani felt the principal secretary was more important than the deputy PM and this was the main issue between Advani and Vajpayee,” Dulat said.

The findings showed that consuming raw fruits and vegetables leads to lower levels of mental illness symptomology, such as depression.

It also improved levels of psychological well-being including a positive mood and life satisfaction.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, also found that organic food provides significant, additional climate benefits for plant-based diets. Wikimedia Commons

“Our research has highlighted that the consumption of fruit and vegetables in their ‘unmodified’ state is more strongly associated with better mental health compared to cooked/canned/processed fruit and vegetables,” said lead author Tamlin Conner, senior lecturer at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

However, when the fruits and vegetables are cooked, canned and processed, they lose their mental health benefits as the process potentially diminishes the nutrient levels, Conner noted.

“Cooking and processing likely limits the delivery of nutrients that are essential for optimal emotional functioning,” Conner said.

Representational Image. pixabay

For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, more than 400 young adults from New Zealand and the US aged 18 to 25 years were surveyed.

Conner says public health campaigns have historically focused on aspects of quantity for the consumption of fruit and vegetables (such as 5+ a day).

However, the new study found that for mental health in particular, it may also be important to consider the way in which produce was prepared and consumed.